Artemio Murakami kept the momentum of his fiery third round charge and closed out with a bogey-free 68, bagging the Philippine Open title via a two-stroke victory over last year’s winner Elmer Salvador of Davao City at the Valley Golf Club course, recently.
Sustaining the form that netted him a seven-under 65 and pulled him within one off Salvador and amateur Miguel Tabuena, Murakami outgunned the erstwhile joint leaders with four birdies in the first 10 holes then hang tough with clutch pars to annex the crown on a 72-hole aggregate of 11-under 277.
He won P350,000, lower than the P448,500 bounty he pocketed in winning the Mercedes Benz Tour leg at Manila Southwoods early in the year. But his Open romp enabled him to join the elite circle of winners in the country’s premier golfing event long considered as Asia’s oldest championship.
Salvador, who kept the rallying Murakami at bay with a gutsy 70, birdied No. 2 but reeled back in the face of Murakami’s sustained charge. He birdied the par-3 18th from 12 feet for a 71 and a 279, settling for a runner-up finish worth P224,400.
Two-time champion Frankie Minoza of Bukidnon, whom Murakami looks up to as idol and mentor, shot a 70 for solo third at 280 worth P125,000.
“I tried my best to win it again this year but he (Murakami) really played well,” said the soft-spoken Salvador, who fell short of his bid to give himself another big birthday present today the way he did last year when he topped last year’s Open at Mt. Malarayat, Tabuena, who humbled the pros with a 67 in the third round to tie Salvador at the helm, cracked with a 73 and settled for fourth overall with a 281, still a big feat for a 16-year-old wonder who won the silver medal in the recent Asian Games.
Former champion Cassius Casas, also from Davao City, fired a tournament-best nine-under 63 to salvage joint seventh with fellow Dabawenyo Elmer Saban, who matched par 72, at 284. [PR]
